"One more click, and your world will end, Julian," Arthur whispered.His fingers danced across the bluish-glowing keyboard in the darkness of the van parked two blocks from The Obsidian, Edinburgh's most exclusive club. On the monitor, streams of data moved like lightning, piercing through cybersecurity protocols deemed impossible to breach.Target locked. Initiating data injection, a cold voice from the system echoed in his ears.Arthur smirked. His sharp eyes stared at the screen displaying CCTV footage from inside the club. There, amidst clouds of expensive cigar smoke and the chest-thumping beat of bass music, Julian McAlister was raising his crystal glass high."To the future of McAlister! Without any burdens in the way!" Julian shouted, greeted by the boisterous laughter of the socialites surrounding him."Without burdens, huh?" Arthur muttered. "Let's see just how heavy a burden you can carry tonight."Arthur pressed the Enter key.Instantly, the music inside the club went comp

“The detective is clever, but he is still playing by human rules,” Arthur whispered as he watched the monitor flicker red.His hands moved swiftly over the holographic keyboard projected by the system. The black van glided quietly through the narrow alleys on the outskirts of Edinburgh, avoiding the city’s surveillance cameras, now fully under Detective Fiona’s control.Police route encryption successfully diverted, Sir. The van’s current position has been detected five miles in the opposite direction, the system reported in a cold, emotionless voice.Arthur smirked faintly, his eyes flashing with cold satisfaction. “Good. Let her chase shadows. We have a more urgent agenda tonight. What about Evelyn Rose’s data?”Data download is one hundred percent complete. Original documents from Blue Velvet Lounge, 1998, are ready for distribution. Proceed to dissemination phase?“Not yet,” Arthur replied. He leaned back against the plush seat, closing his eyes for a moment as he pictured the fac

A light drizzle swept across the streets of Glasgow, leaving puddles that reflected the neon glow of aging billboards. Arthur stood before the door of an old warehouse in a deserted industrial district, his breath forming white mist in the cold night air. Inside his jacket pocket, his phone vibrated. A system notification appeared across his vision.Area discovered. Structural stability: 85%. Suitable for Sovereign operational headquarters.Arthur pushed the rusted iron door open. The sharp creak of metal cut through the silence of the night. Inside, the scent of dust and old machine oil greeted him. He walked toward a corner of the room, where a thin young man sat surrounded by a dozen glowing monitors, their light illuminating his pale face.“You finally made it,” the young man said without turning. His fingers continued dancing across the keyboard at an impossible speed.Arthur stepped closer. “Did you manage to trace their signal bac

“He’s not a threat, Kai. He’s an investment,” Arthur replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.“An investment? You want to recruit a cop?” Kai asked, incredulous.“This world doesn’t only need swords, Kai. It also needs a clean shield. Fiona will be our eyes inside their system. She’ll see the rot we can’t reach from the shadows,” Arthur explained.“But she hates your methods. She called you a monster,” Kai shot back.Arthur gave a faint smile, one laced with bitterness. “That’s true. And she isn’t wrong. But it takes a monster to hunt the real monsters. She’ll realize that, sooner or later.”“The system reports an increase in Vengeance Points from your interaction with her, sir. But there’s something strange. There’s a fluctuation in Fear Points,” Kai reported.“What does that mean?” Arthur asked.“She’s afraid, that’s certain. But there’s also respect there. An acknowledgment of your power. The system classifies this as a ‘Vassal Potential’ anomaly,” Kai explained.Arthur fell si